For the first time, the Annual Animation Show of Shows is doing a theatrical run. This collection of 11 animated shorts, lovingly curated by Acme Filmworks executive producer Ron Diamond features artists from Australia, France, Ireland, USA, Russia, Switzerland, and Iran. Each year Diamond handpicks the animated shorts for a show that's shared with studios, festivals, and schools through an effort on his part to heighten awareness of the art form and a camaraderie amongst animators around the world.

The mediums vary greatly -- there's stop motion, clay animation, and line drawings to name a few. The themes and genres differ as much as the mediums, going from the whimsical (there's a story of man who lives on stilts) to more universal themes such as isolation and rejection. With such variation, the unifying factor is the obvious amount of care and love that went into the creation of each short. Some took years to create, and in a medium such as animation, you're always certain that no line is drawn superfluously.

There is honestly not a flawed note in the collection. Furthermore, following four of the shorts, there are documentary portraits of the artists and creators that offer an inside look on both the process and the story behind the animations.

The 17th Annual Animation Show of Shows starts playing today at SIFF Egyptian, and more information about the different shorts and showtimes can be found here. Furthermore, curator Ron Diamond will be present at the 7 PM October 30 showing, and there will be a live skype chat with Academy Award nominee animator Don Hertzfelt (animator of It's a Beautiful Day and the SIFF-shown short World of Tomorrow.